Points in Time
by texasloves9
Summary: You heard what happened at 3 AM, about Booths confrontation at 8 AM, and how Bones discovered who was behind the video at 9 AM, Bones confession at noon, heard Sweets opinion at 4 PM, Now finish with the video and what really happened last night.
1. 3 AM

Disclaimer: I Don't own Bones, it does own me.

Have you ever noticed that your thoughts start to get stranger the farther past midnight it gets? Somewhere around 3 AM all logic, all rationality is gone. This is evidenced by the illogical choices that seem to be made at closing time at most local bars. It doesn't matter how high your IQ or how much street smarts a person has, very bad choices get made it 3 AM. It's one of those such choices that put these two people in this situation. Two people who never ever would have made this choice at 10 o'clock in the morning or at five o'clock in the afternoon. No, they would never have made this choice at any other time of day. But here they are, making choices that in the light of day they will surely regret. Here, now, as the church bell chimes three times decisions are being made actions are being taken that have the possibility of changing the future of this man and this woman.

They are going to do it anyway. They can't help themselves. Years. Five years. Five long years. There have been glimpses, tiny insights that this was coming. You could see it in the sideways glances and slight touches. While for the rest of the world it is obvious, to the two of them, the two with the darkest blinders on this revelation is possibly life shattering.

The choice has been made. There will be no turning back from here. Sure wine and whiskey will be blamed and why not? They have both consumed enough of each to layout a 200 pound sailor. But even through a drunken haze they know what they are doing.

A smile is shared between them, a knowing smile. Each in turn begins to undress. The shoes go first. She is just wearing slip ons which fly easily through the air when she kicks each leg in turn. They both laugh at how far the shoes were able to go. He has a harder time, somehow the laces on his shoes have formed a knot that frustrates him so much he gets out his pocket knife and cuts through them just to get out of his shoes. As he's trying to get his socks off the inbalance caused by way to many drinks threatens to topple him over he reaches out to her. Yes her, she is his rock, his port in every storm. He knows she'll be there to help him and placing an arm on her steady shoulder he reaches down and one by one pulls off his socks a smile is shared between the two.

"Funny" he thinks "I knew this day would come I just never thought it would be with her."

She smiles up at him and she knows this is a man she can trust, he won't leave her, not now anyway.

And slowly eyes lock upon each other, smiles spread across both of their faces they began to unbutton their shirts one button at a time. As each button is released from its captivity the smiles on their faces gets bigger and broader until the last one is done the shared smiles turn into giggles. The gravity of the situation begins to take hold. Are they really going to do this?

Neither of them is a coward so no no turning back now. Both are giggling like school children as they begin to unbutton their pants. The garments are quickly removed and tossed aside. He can't help but notice the deep purple lace that comprises her bra and panties. She smiles at the sight of his boxers covered with what looks like an alien with a broom on its helmet.

He reaches for her hand and she places her small one in his larger one. Together they turn toward the objective which will be their undoing. It lies mere feet away. They take a deep breath gathering courage, both, knowing, both understanding that this first step would surely be a jolt. But they take the steps anyway. Amazing. Glorious. Unbelievable. Freedom. Laughter. Joy. Uninhibited. Blinding light. Fireworks? Police officers?

And the headlines read... **FBI's top investigators discovered uncovered in the Washington Mall.** The two were apparently celebrating the recent sentencing of the mass murderer best known as the Gravedigger. Authorities state no charges will be brought at this time. A video of this celebration has gained worldwide fame with over 3 million hits on YouTube.


	2. 8 AM

Dear Readers...Thanks to all of you who read 3AM and sent me those wonderful reviews. I will be honest, I am not sure of this one. I just couldn't get my head around it too much. But I tried. If you like it let me know. If you want another time let me know. I think I have a couple of hours left in me.

Disclaimer: Still love and miss BONES. Still have no claim on them.

**8AM**

Morning. The morning after the night before always leads one to a period of deep reflection. This reflection becomes more microscopic when you know you will have to account to someone else for those actions. Fighting in your own mind compares mildly to then having to defend yourself to an authority figure whose opinion of you and your actions will have a huge impact on your life.

***

Booth was sitting in an uncomfortable straight-backed chair. He had is elbows resting on his knees holding his heavy head in his hands. He had spent the past 10 minutes staring really hard on the irregular crack in the floor of his boss's office.

The call he received at 6:30 this morning was to report here at 0800. So here he sat. Lost between the worry about what would happen to his career and whether or not you could actually die from a hangover. The sound of the door opening behind him caused him to suck in a deep breath as he stood up and watched his boss settle in behind to his desk.

"Sit down Agent Booth"

Booth sat. He held his head high as he looked hopeful at the man who would decide his fate. He had been mapping out the defense of his actions, planning his strategy of attack when his boss spoke again.

"You were found drunk and naked, playing in the water at the National Mall with your partner".

Booth shook his head, "We were not naked sir, we had our underclothes on".

"That is not a large distinction Booth" .

Booths head dropped a little in shame, "Yes sir, but we were not---"showing all of our American Pride" to the world as the New York Post said. "

" As a highly decorated FBI Special Agent you of all people know that it's important for us to present ourselves with a modicum of decorum when we are in public".

"Yes sir, I do realize that but there were several underlying factors that I would like you to take into account before you form your final opinion. "

"I'm listening"

"First, it was really warm out last night " Booth said with a charming smile at his boss.

"I'm hoping this is not the root of your defense" Not looking amused.

" Oh no sir, as you know this trial has lasted for almost three weeks and spending three weeks staring at the face of someone who tried to kill you is enough to take toll on any sane person"

" I understand that Booth, I understand that she buried your Partner alive and tried to send you to your watery grave, but honestly Booth I don't see how that all adds up to you and Dr. Brennan in your skivvies in the water."

"Ok sir, I will then end on what I hope is my strongest defense. .. YOU are the one who bought us the last three shots of tequila and I believe it was you who told us to "go be free young people and celebrate your success" . We were merely following your order sir".

Booth looked at his Boss with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Shaking his head, hiding his smile, "Booth we both know that was not what I meant, however, I do remember that we all celebrated a little too much last night but you two are the only ones plastered all over the internet"

Booth tired his best to look humble. "Yes sir".

"I think it would be best if the two of you work out this new behavior with Dr. Sweets during your meeting with him this afternoon , I'll take his opinion of this situation under advisement and we will discuss this further at a later date".

Booth sighed with relief and got up to leave when his boss signaled with a wave of his hand. He was almost through the door when his boss stopped him with one last question.

"Did they ever find out who made the video of the two of you?"

Booth smiled at his boss when he said, **"Oh yeah, and Bones is dealing with the guilty party as we speak".**


	3. 9 AM

Disclaimer: I still love and miss Bones, it owns my heart I don't own it.

9AM

She stood in front of the motley group of her coworkers and select grad students. Usually this was Booth's division, the emotional side of things. But today it was hers. It was hers because it was one of hers that had betrayed them, one of hers that had possibly cost Booth his job. She was experiencing a multitude of feelings, some of which were new to her. Some of with which she was all to acquainted. She felt embarrassment, she felt shame, she felt betrayed and she felt really hung over. No, this world of excessive feelings was not hers; she dwelled in the realm of truth and logic. She was used to facts so she just started spurting them; one, to cover her embarrassment about her actions the previous night and two as an outlet of anger that someone so close to her could betray her trust in such an overt manner.

"Anthropologically speaking, alcohol consumption has been around since the Neolithic period (around 10,000 B.C.). It is widely believed that beverages were being fermented during this time and that beer was already able on a wide scale. And as far back as 4,000 years ago Egyptian drawings and pictographs show wine as a common part of life at the time. They were resolute about their beer and wine believing the god Osiris invented beer. Beer and wine have been offered up to the gods as divine offering in many developing civilizations."

She looked out at the faces of her so called friends and remembered they too celebrated into the wee hours of the morning with her and Booth and probably had the same ill effects of alcohol consumption that she had. So she thought now would be the time to remind them what alcohol actually does to the body in hopes to explain her behavior the night before.

" As most of you know, after alcohol is ingested, it eventually makes it to the small intestine and is absorbed. As alcohol flows through the blood stream and it is metabolized by the liver, where the alcohol is broken down by enzymes. The liver can, on average, metabolize about one drink in one hour. Alcohol consumed in addition to this amounts can generally not be processed by the liver. When this happens, your blood becomes saturated and the additional alcohol makes its way to your body tissues including your brain. Alcohol binds directly to the receptors for acetylcholine, serotonin, GABA, and the NMDA receptors for glutamate. Current research supports the idea that initial exposure to alcohol activates the reward pathway releasing NMDA in the Nucleus accumbens, which in turn sends messages to the cortex to be coded as experiences and perhaps as memories."

She had naturally launched into teacher mode and then she looked out at her gathered audience and noticed not one of them were paying attention to her informative diatribe in fact, most had eyes rolled back in their head with sighs escaping, acting much like stubborn children who have grown tired of the same lecture from their parents.

So she decided to change her tactics. She gathered her nerve and then said something that rarely left her overconfident mouth, something that caused the mouths of those around her to drop open this time in surprise.

"I wish to apologize to all of you for my behavior last night; it was inacceptable for someone of my social, professional and academic standing".

Angela, being her best friend was the first of the crowd to speak. She stood up, hugged her then looked at her friend with a toothy grin and said, "Sweetie, you had a little too much to drink and got a little wild, no one thinks any less of you. I mean who hasn't had one of those nights when you throw caution to the wind?"

"Like jumping over a broom on a beach somewhere with a Atlantean god and waking up married?" This snide comment came from a very hung over and bitter Dr. Hodgins.

"Yeah, like that" Angela said contemptuously as she sat down and took Wendell's hand in hers. Wendell looked down at their entwined hands and smiled.

"That behavior is explainable for most situations but it does not cover the actions that took place last night. I am not just referencing Booth's and my behavior but that of the one who recorded the incident." Brennan began.

She took a deep breath in order to center herself. Her emotions were starting to get the best of her. The color change began on her neck and was slowly creeping up to her cheeks it could not be explained away as just embarrassment but also the intense anger she felt as she looked out at the one who betrayed them.

"It was bad enough to have the DC police come and take us down the police station in our less than suitable attire but to come home to find that we had been betrayed by one of our own in such a crude and public manner. Add to this sad state of affairs another level of urgency, Booth is right now meeting with his boss fighting for his and by default mine, really, all our jobs."

"Wait a minute", this time it was Cam who was standing, "Are you implying that one of us is responsible for that video of you two splashing around in your underwear"?

"I am implying nothing, I am stating a fact. The DC police traced the video submission to the home computer account of someone in this room."

All the attendees of Brennan's meeting began looking around the table at one another. Shock shown on all their faces. Each one wondering who the guilty party was, each one making their own wild assumptions about who they think did this, each one beginning to get angry in their own right.

"Who?" This from the forlorn Dr. Hodgins. "Who here would have done that?"

All eyes turned to Dr. Brennan.

She took another deep breath and steadied herself and looked up directly at Cam.

"Dr. Saroyan, Would you care to answer that question?"

Cam jumped once again to her feet. "Me. You're accusing me?"

"Sit down Cher" A southern voice came booming from the door.

"Ms. Julian this is a private meeting." Dr. Brennan began to say.

"I know exactly what this is Cher and I am here to stop you from jumping to conclusions and making another fool out of yourself today".

"I beg your pardon, but the DC police informed Booth and me this morning that the video originated at Dr. Saroyan's internet connection, with Michele down in Florida for the summer that leaves only Dr. Saroyan at her home at 4 AM this morning to place it on that website, those are the facts. I am not jumping to conclusions as you say, I never jump to conclusions."

"I did not…" Cam jumping back up from her chair.

"I said sit down Cher" Caroline Julian said in a powerful voice that had all in the room wincing. "You too Ms. Never Jump to conclusions, I'd say you've been jumping to and into a lot of things lately" As she chuckles to her own little joke, no one else dared even smile at this point.

"Sit down and let me tell you a story." She held a hand up when Dr. Brennan started to interrupt. "It behooves you to listen to this story."

"Last night was a grand celebration and I noticed all of you were quite enjoying yourselves. I was making the rounds in our little soiree when I noticed the two of you" Nodding towards Dr. Brennan, "Sneak of out the door giggling like school girls. Well my trouble radar went off so I decided to follow you. Actually, I have to admit that I was hoping to catch a few steamboats."

Confusion was seen around the room, the select few who understood were trying hard to hide their grins, with exception of one who was staring down at her clasped fingers.

"So," continued , "I followed the two of you, and I have to say, you two were something, do you even remember drawing smiley faces on the windows of all the cars with your lipstick, as the two of you walked down to the mall?"

Dr. Brennan, head still bowed merely shook her head no.

"Then when I saw you kick off your shoes, I was feeling quite puckish at this point so I got out my i-phone and thought I would take a picture of the two of you, you know something to have in my arsenal next time the two of you want a warrant in 5 minutes notice. It wasn't until later until I realized that I had actually recorded the whole thing."

It was then that Cam spoke up. "But how did that video get sent from my address?"

"Well, I was on my way home when I saw you missy, staggering down the street with a bottle of champagne in one hand and your shoes in another. I offered you a ride home, you passed out in my car on the way there. I was trying to walk you to your door you woke up and asked me where I had gone to and I told you what I had seen, that I had a picture of it. You insisted on seeing it, that's when I discovered it was a video. But you were passed out again. So I thought about putting the video somewhere you could see it, I used your wireless connection to access my you-tube account. Honestly Cher, I thought I was just uploading it to my account to show to y'all later. It wasn't until 6 this morning that I realized I had published it. I would never have done it if I had known."

Dr. Brennan, head still bowed, nodded in recognition of the implied apology.

"Came straight here from the FBI, you'll be happy to know that they have not fired Agent Booth, but they are requiring the two of you to up your appointments with Dr. Sweets."

Dr. Brennan looked up with a slight smile on her face. "Well, that's something isn't it."

Just then her cell phone beeped an incoming message, 'LUNCH? DINER?'

She typed back 'NOON'

AUTHORS NOTE: Thanks again for all your kind thoughts and reviews. I had really meant 3AM to be a one shot but thanks to all of your encouragement I have added 8AM and now 9AM. It really was not meant to be a series so I will continue adding one at a time. I think I will continue with maybe 2 more. I bet you can guess the next…so keep a look out for NOON. It may be a few days until I can get to it. Please review and let me know what you think.


	4. Noon

Noon

He was already seated when she walked in. But, like the gentleman he was he stood as she approached the table. She frowned at his "archaic sexist" gesture but nodded in recognition of him and sat down. As he took his seat again he noticed that she looked quite pale-more than normal-the slight coloration below her eyes conveyed to him that she too had yet to have any sleep.

The waitress came over to take their order. Neither of them particularly desired food but decided grilled cheese sandwiches and a shared order of fries would be easiest on delicate stomachs.

"Drink lots of water Booth, most symptoms of hangovers are caused by dehydration. Alcohol disrupts the body's normal hormonal mechanisms that regulate fluid balance."

He merely nodded at her suggestion and took a deep drink of his water. He looked up at her with heavily lidded eyes.

He wanted to speak. She wanted him to speak. Neither knew what to say. That, morning after the night before, discussion is always a hard one but this one was special. Technically it's the same morning and technically they did not exactly sleep together. That would have been easier to explain away. This was different. But they are different. No, Not your normal couple at all.

Finally he decided to break the silence, "Caroline called me and told me about your meeting this morning."

''I am still so surprise that Ms. Julian was behind the video".

"Me too, but at least you know that no one turned against us."

Then they sat in quiet, in quiet once more, not the comfortable quiet they are used to but a tense quiet shared by two people with too much to say and no courage in which to speak. Their waitress brought them their meals and they ate in silence.

One of them would have to break it; one of them would have the nerve to continue the conversation.

Finally one of them did, the sudden change from silence startled them both.

"Booth, I have a confession to make" Brennan began. She was looking down at her napkin which was slowly becoming confetti.

His eyes opened wide at this and he stared at her face. His heart was beating fast, wondering what in the world would make this strong self confident woman look so anxious.

"Bones you know you can tell me anything. It's ok. You're safe with me." Booth said in a calm voice.

"I know it's just embarrassing" she said not meeting his eyes.

"Bones," he said reaching across the table covering her spastic hands with his in a calming manner, "after last night we don't have very many secrets from one another"

"Well that's part of why I am embarrassed" She said, turning her hands over in his so that now they were holding hands across the table.

"Because of last night?" He prompted. He ducked his head a little trying to catch her eyes with his. He began absently rubbing circles with his thumbs on hers.

"Yes," she said, "but not for the reasons you might think. I can logically explain our behavior as one of celebration, the relief of having withstood that awful defense attorney and her endless questions and accusations about evidence tampering and misconduct. Seeing that awful Taffet woman knowing what she did to us and all of her other victims. Actually calling us victims was bad enough. So no I am not embarrassed that we celebrated our victory with our Friends." She paused and took a deep breath and finally met his eyes with hers.

Why didn't she look at him before? All she saw in those deep brown eyes was peace. He always did this to her, whenever she was nervous, excited, or scared all she had to do was look him in the eyes and she instantly felt better. She could tell him this. He would understand, they may even laugh together about her embarrassment and then she would feel better. She took a deep breath and gave his hands a little squeeze before she continued.

"I am embarrassed because I really enjoyed myself last night; I was happy throwing all cares away and not worrying about what people thought of me. I am embarrassed because we broke the law and I really did not care. I am embarrassed because people like me do not do that. People like me do not take their clothes off in public no matter how much alcohol they consumed. I am embarrassed because I did not care about all that and I had a good time. I am embarrassed because I had so much fun that if you asked me to do it again. I would want to do it."

He was expecting remorse from her. He was expecting a plea of embarrassment about their public celebration display, he was not expecting this. Part of him should have expected this of her, she was much more open with this kind of things than he was, in fact many times she had teased him about his puritanistic views of sex. But this confession came as some of a shock to him. He began to wonder what exactly this confession meant, did she want to do that again because of the action, the thrill, the fun or because of him? How does he ask her to clarify? Then it came to him. Sweets. Let Sweets get it out of her at their session with him later that afternoon. But what to say to her now?

She could see him thinking through her confession. What was he thinking of her? Did he think she was some kind of freak? She knew all about his archaic views but surely he understood she just meant that she would do that with him, that she enjoyed letting loose and having fun because he was with her. That because of him she had the courage to step outside herself and throw caution to the wind. That it was with him that she wanted to be free of inhibitions and truly do and say what she was feeling.

"Wow Bones, I mean wow" Booth stuttered, "How about we wait until the public outcry over our last foray into indecent exposure has died down before we try that again, OK?" He said with a grin on his face.

He said 'we'. She thought. And smiled back at him.

So what is Sweets going to think of our daring duo and their adventure? We will see at more at 4.

Please Please please review. I need to know what you are thinking. I need some suggestions as


	5. 4 PM

Authors Note: Thank you to those of you who read and reviewed this so far.

4 PM

The two of them were sitting and waiting. Waiting like two school children who acted up in class and were sent to the principal's office. They were seated together on the small couch in Sweet's office.

As was the norm for past few years little space separated them, not quite touching, yet not a hairs breadth between them.

They were each studying the minute lines and flaws in their own hands, clasped in their laps. Almost giving one the impression that had they not been holding their own hands they would have reached unconsciously for the others.

Their breathing was deep and oddly in sync, each breath taken at the same time for the same length in time. Careful observers has noted this phenomenon before, having noticed other similar phenomenon's such as walking in step and finishing each other's sentences. All the behaviors seen between long married couples and close siblings such as twins.

No one would ever mistake these two for siblings, while the misconception of their relationship as more than partners is a continuous impression.

So here they sit, both contemplating their connected fate. Each concerned that whatever Sweet's inevitably put in his report, that it would jeopardized their partnership.

In walked the young doctor. Both noticed he too showed the effects of the night before. He had darkened circles under his eyes, slightly disheveled appearance and a slower than normal gait. Sweets walked to his desk and picked up the file on the midnight marauders and sat in the chair opposite them.

Booth was the first of the tenacious two-some to talk.

"Listen Sweets, we…" Booth was interrupted by Sweets up raised hand.

Wow it seemed like their duckling was growing up, becoming the swan he was meant to be. Anyway he was testing the boundaries with a formidable FBI agent. On a day that might not be the best one for a new gosling to test his wings.

Sweets continued, hand-raised, to read something out of the file. Slowly he looked up and stared at the two sitting on his couch and said, "Well, I assume this is a new development in your relationship that I feel we should try and work out the boundaries."

"I don't know what that means? " Brennan questioned. "Booth and I know perfectly well what the boundaries in our relationship are, where exactly the lines are drawn. What we don't understand is why this is such a big deal?"

"That's interesting that you used the term 'lines' when discussing your relationship with Agent Booth, I have heard you use that term before and I am unsure you even know that boundaries and lines in relationship terms are actually two different concepts."

"That's just you trying to hide behind your soft science metaphors" Brennan snapped back.

Sweets started to reply to her unpleasant response but this time he was interrupted by Agent Booth.

"Listen Sweets, I know the FBI expects you to make sure that we are compatible as partners. What Dr. Brennan is saying is that what happened last night changes nothing. If anything it makes us better as partners."

"Interesting" Sweets interjected.

"No, it's not interesting; it's not interesting at all. Why is this that much of a big deal? Everyone was celebrating big time last night you included, everybody had too much to drink, you included. So we had an error in judgment. But, come on" He pleaded, "It's not like we were totally naked or anything. We had on enough clothes to cover us."

Brennan continued where Booth ended, " Sweets, we are trying to tell you that this" she waves her hands in the air between her and Booth, "has nothing at all to do with our jobs, it in no way should reflect up on abilities to do our job, which we both do extremely well."

"Oh but it does" Sweets says emphatically, "your behavior as a couple outside your job does affect job performance."

" WE ARE NOT A COUPLE" the two say in unison.

"Fine, your behavior as partners, then affects the job. Your actions last night do not reflect the actions seen between normal working partners, even the two of you have to admit that".

"Why not? We are working partners and we did what we did" Booth asked of the young doctor.

"What I find particularly interesting is that while you both are trying to appear calm and at ease with what occurred last night neither of you can speak about it directly, you both keep referring to it was 'what we did' and not defining your actions."

"Please," this from Brennan who now has had enough of the psycho babble. "Neither of us have a problem with what occurred last night. All that happened was that after spending hours drinking with the rest of you in that hot bar, Booth and I decided to cool off. Now we both agree that stripping down to our underwear and splashing about in a national monument was not the place to cool off we also agree that there was nothing overt or sexual meant in our actions."

"Have you too actually seen the video?" Sweets asks.

"Most of it," Booth states, "enough to know that we were really in the wrong place at the wrong time." Booth laughs, Brennan smiles. Both trying to make light of the situation.

"I suggest the two of you go and watch the whole video, not just what was on the news this morning, and then I think we will meet and discuss this further" Sweets shut the folder and stood up.

For the first time ever they were dismissed by Sweets. Usually they are the ones who end each session but this time was different. Maybe things were different now.

The two walked out in the hall. Both started to speak at once.

"Do you want to…?"Booth started.

"Should we meet…? Brennan began.

They laughed. Why were they suddenly so nervous?

Booth ducked his head slightly and said "You were saying?"

"Should we meet at my place to watch this video?"

"Yeah, I'll bring Thai?"

"Sounds good, I'll see you at 7?"

"7"

****So…Please let me know what you think. I was going to end here but I am kinda curious about what's on the video myself. Aren't you? Let me know if you are. I can tell a lot of people are reading this, what I can't tell is what you think. I am many things, a mind reader is not one of them. **


	6. 7 PM

**A bit of artistic license was taken with the spelling of some drunken words. **

**I had to rewrite this final chapter after the 100. Hopefully I added what HH left out. **

**HOPE. **

Brennan got home early, with just enough time to change from her work clothes into a nice cool pair of shorts and her favorite t-shirt. She walked through her apartment picking up odds and ends making sure her place looked nice for her evening with Booth.

She wondered why she was working so hard when Booth had been in her place many times, he didn't care if she left out a pair of shoes or the newest copy of _Popular Science_. But she was nervous, and it helped her to keep busy.

What she could not figure out was why she was nervous. Come on, this was her best friend, her confidant, her comrade against crime; he was the one she trusted above all others. Why was she suddenly apprehensive about him coming over for the evening?

Then she remembered that they were going to watch that video. She had meant to go online and check it out before he came over, but looking over at her clock she noted that he would be there in about 5 minutes, not enough time for her to turn on her computer and get the information.

So she would wait, she would watch it with him and together they would see what Sweets had deemed such a big deal. She took a deep breath, centering herself, when she heard him at the door. She quickly went over to the door to help him with his handful of Thai.

"Evenin Bones" he said as he walked past her.

Booth walked into the living room and put their dinner on the coffee table while Brennan went to the kitchen to bring back two beers. As she walked into the room she spies Booth stretch his arms up over his head trying to relieve pressure on his lumbar area. His Philly Flyers t-shirt stretches tight across is pectoral muscles and Brennan shutters slightly at the sight. Wow what a man.

"Do you need me to adjust your back?" She asks as she walks towards him.

"Na Bones, I'm just stretching out the day."

She hands him a beer and when she sees his raised eyebrow she says, "I thought we could use a bit of the hair of the cat".

Booth chuckles, "Its hair of the dog, Bones".

"What dog?" She looks at him quizzically.

He just laughs and sits down on the carpet between the coffee table and the couch. Brennan sits across from him. They have shared many meals here like this, passing each other food without speaking, both unconsciously meeting the needs of the other.

The conversation is light and comfortable. They discuss the weather, Booth again arguing the reason it's so hot is global warming, Brennan lecturing the difference between Global Warming and a normal cycling climate. He knows all this of course but it always puts her at ease when she can lecture a bit.

She asks about his son and he tells her all about Parkers' upcoming baseball game and how he might get to start as pitcher. She knows all this of course but it always puts him at ease when he can talk about Parker, and she has grown really fond of the cute little guy.

As they complete their meal the tension begins to rise; both knowing that they soon will have to confront the reality of what happened the night before.

Together they pick up the remnants of their meal and take it into the kitchen. Someone drops a fork and they both reach down for it and they collide on the way down. Apologies flow between them. He opens a cabinet to get a glass and hits her in the back of the head. She drops the trash can on his foot.

"Let's get out of this kitchen before we kill each other" He jokes.

Waves of tension can literally be seen in the room. She smiles at him and nods, "Good idea"

As they enter the living room once more Booth speaks, "Ok here's the deal, I think I know what has Sweets panties in a wad"

Brennan puzzles over Booths choice of words, "I'm pretty sure Sweets does not wear women's under garments Booth".

"It's an expression Bones, it means I think I know what Sweets has a hang up about. When I went to get a copy of the video for us to watch tonight, I discovered there is actually two videos."

"I don't understand what you are saying."

"Well, apparently, Caroline hit stop in the middle of her recording and then started again. What she ultimately downloaded on to the internet was just the second part of her recording."

"So … it's the first part that has Sweets and your boss so troubled?"

"I believe so, yes".

"So we should see that then, right?" She looked into his eyes and saw her nervousness mirrored back at her.

"Let's watch the one that was on the internet first, then watch the other" Booth countered.

"Fine by me"

Brennan sat on the couch while Booth loaded the DVD copy of the video. He then came and sat down next to her.

"Ready Freddy?" Booth asks.

"I'm not Fred, I'm Bones"

"Yes you are" He laughed.

Booth pressed play.

At first there was no picture and then they were looking at a close up of the bark of a tree. They could hear giggling in the background and then the muffled chuckling of Caroline. With a Breathy "These two are nuts".

Suddenly… you could hear shouting and whistles blowing. The camera then comes up and attempts to focus on the activity. You can hear Caroline really laughing now; as the picture focuses on Booth, decked out in his glorious boxer shorts, with lingerie clad Brennan standing behind him trying to avoid two of DC's finest.

The scene unfolding before the camera, looked like a scene from a black and white keystone cop movie. The two officers tried to calmly talk the two inebriated investigators out of the fountain. When negotiation failed, they tried to physically remove them, this tactic did not fair any more successfully than the first. The police officers tried to grab a hold of a very slippery Booth who dodged and weaved his way out of their grasp.

The tenacious twosome then took it as challenge to see which of them could get a police officer wet. Booth used a quick hip check when one police officer lunged at him and the officer went face first in to the fountain. That was when Brennan used a successful if not wobbly foot sweep to knock the second one in the water.

Booth began screaming "FBI, FBI" at the top of his lungs. Holding up what appeared to be one of his striped socks as identification.

Reinforcements came running on the scene and the two were quickly taken into custody. The screen went blank.

Brennan could not help but grin at the scene she just witnessed. Booth let out a full belly laugh.

"Wow, we really were drunk, you know Bones usually you demonstrate much more agility when performing that martial arts move."

"Like your technique was any better, didn't I see you do a better version of your move at your last hockey game?"

They both began to laugh. It sure felt good to laugh, released a great deal of tension. Whatever the other video showed they could now handle it.

"Ready to see the other one?" Booth asked.

"Let's get it over with."

Booth walked over to the DVD player and put on the second DVD. He walked back over to the couch and sat down. This time he felt the need to sit a little closer to Brennan, he felt a little foolish like there would be something scary on the screen and she would protect him, or maybe it was his protectiveness over her that took over and wanted to protect her from what they may see. Yes that was it, because a Booth is not afraid of anything. So he took a deep breath and pressed play.

On the screen in front of them they could be seen walking away from the lens, arm in arm. They also could be heard singing at the top of their lungs what sounded suspiciously like Bobby McFerrins "Don't Worry Be Happy"

"Brennan stops and looks over at Booth and slurs, "You know the whole wwride world would be better if we would juss live by this ssong."

"I gree Bones"

"You know how they say that a picture is worth a hundred words, less draw pictures"

Brennan is seen taking out two tubes of lipstick out of her purse and the two begin to draw smiley faces all over store fronts and car windows.

On the couch Booth leans over to whisper in Brennan's ear, "You know real saying is "A Pictures worth a thousand words.

Brennan just glared at him, "Shhhhh"

Back on the screen Brennan was drawing eyelashes on a smiley face on the back window of an SUV. When Booth shouted "I'm HOT" Pulling his shirt away from his chest.

Brennan stopped what she was drawing—leaving a smiley with only one set of eyelashes.

"I occur, um, concur Booth it is extremely warm but what can we do about it? Ooh Oh wait I know—I have a P O O L back at my apartment we can get in it."

"Yes WET-we need to be WET" Booth said loudly.

"Lordy" Caroline could be heard saying. "They'll drown".

On the screen, Booth and Brennan were seen looking up and down the side streets searching for something.

Caroline had to hide so they would not see her, the screen went to bricks.

"So….Which way is it?" Booth was heard to ask.

"Dunno" Brennan answered.

"Hey, WET, I mean water I see water!" Booth shouted.

So they ran towards where Booth saw the "water". Because it was getting close to 3 on a Wednesday morning there was not a lot of traffic and they dangerously crossed large roads without care of being struck. It was apparently too fast for Caroline to keep up because the two of them keep getting farther away.

"Those drunken idiots are going to get themselves killed" Caroline was heard saying. For a while the video just showed asphalt and then grass and finally the bark of the tree they had seen on the other video. Caroline hid behind the tree. Once again she turned the lens at the twosome and finally found them at the edge of the water. They were giggling and shushing each other; each daring the other to jump in.

Brennan was the one to bring up the point that if they jumped in with their clothes on they would have to walk home wet.

"No, that would be bad" Booth said in a loud whisper, "and and and our shoes would make sloshy sounds and wake everyone up"

"Right, right", Brennan said, "Plus Angela just bought me this blouse and she would be very mad if I ruined it the first time I wore it."

"But, But-what'll we wear to get wet?" Booth asked.

"Well, we will just keep on our underclothes", Brennan said. "It'll be like swimsuits"

"What if I'm not wearing any?" Booth asked attempting at a drunken suggestiveness—that came out like a small child.

"Then you can't go in the the water Booth" Brennan retorted-sounding like a bossy 8 year old.

"Ayah, I thought you'd say that I'm jusss kidding" Booth replied.

They smile knowingly at each other. And start to undress. The shoes go first. Brennan was wearing slip ons which fly easily through the air when she kicks each leg in turn. They really had a laugh when they saw how far the shoes were able to go. Booth has a harder time, somehow the laces on his shoes have formed a knot that frustrates him so much he gets out his pocket knife and cuts through them just to get out of his shoes.

Booth was trying to get his socks off and he starts to topple over so he reaches out to Brennan for help by grabbing onto her shoulder. Booth reaches down and one by one pulls off his socks.

"Oh boy," Caroline is heard to say," They really are going to pare down to their skivvies."

Booth and Brennan can be seen giggling and grinning as they finish undressing.

Booth grabs for Brennan's hand and together they jump into the fountain.

Once in the water they started kicking water at each other giggling and laughing at the spray. The fun turns into a competition to see who can make who fall in the water first. They try their best moves on each other, neither making progress until Brennan who was currently in some pretzel hold with Booth, playfully blows in his ear, he is so startled he falls backwards into the water. She meanwhile is doubled over with laughter. Booth quickly gets on his feet.

"Oh Yeah, you think that's funny?

"Oh Yeah"

Booth reached over a grabs her by the shoulders and said, "That was cheating." He spins her around in his arms and holds her in a close embrace.

"I don't cheat Booth; I take advantage of my partners' weaknesses."

"I have no weaknesses, well suspect-I mean except one" Booth slurred.

"Oh Yeah?"

"Yeah, I have a weakness for dancing with you. " Booth replied. And began to slowly glide in the water with Brennan in his arms. He started humming what he had come to think of as their song, "Keep on Trying" by Poco.

Soon they were singing it to each other as they had done in the past. The rest of the world blurred away, for a few minutes it was just the two of them, dancing and singing in the fountain.

As they reached the final bars of the song Booth dipped her deep over his left arm, his eyes met hers and then traveled down her body. He grinned a Cheshire cat grin right before he leaned down and gently placed a kiss on her sternum and slowly began to kiss his way up her chest up and under the soft angles of her jaw. She responded with a kitten like purr. He stood her up right and they both swayed with the rapid movement. Both the headiness of this new level of intimacy and their over indulgence made them dizzy and they both started to giggle.

"I'll be damned" could be heard from Caroline with them giggling in the background. "I hope I got…" Then the screen went blank.

Booth and Brennan sat on the couch staring at the blue screen. Both in shock about what they had witnessed, neither one wanting to be the one who broke the silence. Time passed slowly, the room grew eerily silent the only sounds were the ticking of a clock somewhere in the kitchen and their deep breathing.

Booth was trying to come up with a way to use humor that would allow him to escape her apartment without making it seem like he was running away. When in truth that's what he wanted to do he wanted to run, run far away until he could process this new information. But Rangers don't run from conflict they run to it but hell, tonight he was not a Ranger, tonight he was a man. He was a man who crossed a line, a line he drew, a line he often wanted to erase, but a line neither the less. Should he apologize?

Brennan took a deep breath. Did that just happen? She had to fight the urge to shiver when she thought back on the scene with his lips on her. Sweets was right there is a difference between lines and boundaries. They did cross a line last night, but it a boundary that was crossed as well, going from innocent play to intimate play. She liked both types, but was she ready for both with Booth? This would add a new dimension to their relationship. Was she ready, were they ready for that?

Booth still couldn't come up with anything to say, but there was something to do so he got up to get the disc out of the machine. He thought he heard her gasp slightly when he stood up. Did she think he was going to run?

Booth put the DVD's back into the folder he took them out of and began to pace around the room. He stopped at the windows that looked out over DC and stared. From her apartment he could barely see the Washington Monument, the monument who played a central figure in the video they just watched. He always liked that monument, but at this moment he wished it would point somewhere else. It would always be a reminder of what was and of what could be—would it ever be a symbol of what is or what can be?

He heard her get up and walk up behind him.

"Booth" she said quietly.

His eyes closed, like a child hiding from a monster, much less scary if you close your eyes.

"Booth?" she repeated.

He turned and looked at her. She was standing a mere foot away from him, smiling up and him. He had trouble reading her expression; there was concern in her eyes, worry, maybe hope and humor.

"Booth, I have a question to ask you?"

He swallowed deeply and nodded. "Ok?"

"What in the world was on your boxer shorts?"

Booth was so shocked he started laughing uncontrollably.

"Um, that is Marvin the Martian—you know from Looney Tunes?"

"I don't know what that is?"

"A Cartoon Bones, Parker gave them to me for Christmas."

"Oh, ok" She said and walked away.

"Bones don't you think we ought to talk about what happened on the video?"

"Well, I think I understand what the concern is over, but really it will not be a big deal if we don't let it be right?" Brennan replied.

"Now it's my turn Bones, I don't understand".

"The way I see it, we obviously were drunk and we both know from previous experience that we tend to get amorous when we drink, it happened 6 years ago and it happened last night. The concern would be if we acted on it, we didn't act on it back then and we didn't act on it last night. So the way I see it nothing had changed."

"Nothing has changed?"Booth replied "I think plenty had changed. We are not the same people we were 6 years ago and you know it. Everything about our lives has changed."

"I haven't Booth! I am still the same person I was back then; you and I both know it. You want to think I have changed but you know it's not true. I don't want anything to happen to change anything we have now. I want to wake up tomorrow morning and know that I have a job that I excel in, friends that I can count on, and a best friend I trust my life with. I want none of that to change, and I won't let it change because of something that happened when we were drinking." Brennan practically shouted at him, walking away and opening the door for him.

Booth nodded his head, "Ok,Ok. I understand you."

He walk to the door, and grabbed hold of it just above her hands, she let go and started to back away.

That's when he caught her wrist and turned her back towards him. He tugged and she fell into his embrace. She tilted her head up to confront him and was met with his lips on hers.

It was a soft, tender, gentle kiss yet not void of passion. He released her just as quickly and began to walk out the door-he turned and looked at her and said. "Neither of us is drunk now." He shut the door behind him.

She leaned against the door let out the shuttering breath she had been holding. She reached up and lightly brushed her lips with her finger tips.

It was then she realized everything HAD changed.

A feeling of joy started in her toes and worked its way up her entire body until bursting through the top of her skull.

She knew---she knew what she wanted for the first time in her life –she knew!

She pulled open the door determined to go after him and slammed right into his chest, into his arms where she decided to stay for the rest of her life.

**Thank you all for reading. I just ask 1 minute of your time to let me know what you thought of my first story, I really enjoyed writing it. So please give me some feedback. Thank you ! **


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